Application program, storage medium, information processing device, and control method

Abstract

The objective is to provide a mechanism that allows users to set the format of print data as desired. [Solution] The print settings extension application 112 is a standard driver provided by the OS 114 provider and supports standard drivers (cloud printer driver 111, local printer driver 113) that are pre-installed in the OS 114. The print settings extension application 112 causes the computer to perform a display control step that displays a print settings screen 501 that accepts the format settings for print data, and a generation control step that causes the standard driver to generate print data based on the format settings accepted on the print settings screen 501.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an application program, a storage medium, an information processing apparatus, and a control method.

Background Art

[0002] As a printing industry standard protocol, there is IPP (Internet Printing Protocol). And, using this IPP, a printer driver (hereinafter referred to as "local printer driver") that directly communicates with an image forming apparatus such as a printing apparatus is widely used. The local printer driver is provided by a vendor that provides an OS (operating system), and is a printer driver that generates print data that can be interpreted by printers of a plurality of printer vendors. A user can transmit print data to an image forming apparatus by using the local printer driver built in an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer without installing a printer driver specific to a printer vendor in the information processing apparatus. Also, there is printing using a cloud print service. In a cloud print service, a printer driver for a cloud print service (hereinafter referred to as "cloud printer driver") is installed in an information processing apparatus. The cloud printer driver is a printer driver that communicates with an image forming apparatus via a cloud print service using IPP. Also, the cloud printer driver is also provided by a vendor that provides an OS, and is a printer driver that generates print data that can be interpreted by printers of a plurality of printer vendors. A user can transmit print data to an image forming apparatus via a cloud print service by using the cloud printer driver built in the information processing apparatus. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of generating print data according to an application built in an information processing apparatus and transmitting the print data to an image forming apparatus in printing using a cloud print service (server system).

Prior Art Documents

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-33526 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] For example, depending on the type of print data received by the image forming apparatus, it may be necessary to change the format of the print data to a vector format or a raster format. However, while Patent Document 1 discloses that it is possible to set the format to a raster format, it does not disclose whether it is possible to set the format to a vector format.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems. The object of this invention is to provide a mechanism that allows the format of print data to be set as desired. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the application program of the present invention is a standard driver provided by an operating system provider, an application program that supports a standard driver pre-installed in the operating system, and is characterized by causing a computer to execute a display control step of displaying a setting acceptance screen for accepting settings for the format of print data, and a generation control step of causing the standard driver to generate the print data based on the format settings accepted on the setting acceptance screen. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the format of the print data can be set as desired. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a printing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of a printing system hardware configuration. [Figure 3A] This is a sequence diagram showing the processes performed between the client terminal, the cloud print server, and the printer. [Figure 3B] Figure 3A shows the capability information request (Get-Printer-Attributes) in step S302 of the sequence diagram shown, and the IPP attribute information of the capability information response in step S303. [Figure 4] Figure 3A is a flowchart showing the detailed processing in steps S314 and S315 of the sequence diagram. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a screen displayed on a client terminal. [Figure 6A] This flowchart shows the processes executed on the client terminal. [Figure 6B] This flowchart shows the processes performed by the printer. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a screen displayed on a client terminal according to the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the configurations described in the following embodiments are merely illustrative, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in each embodiment. For example, each part constituting the present invention can be replaced with any configuration that can perform a similar function. In addition, any configuration may be added. Furthermore, any two or more configurations (features) from each embodiment can be combined.

[0010] <First Embodiment> The first embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6B. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a printing system according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the printing system 100 includes a client terminal 101, a cloud print server 102, an application management server 103, and a cloud print-compatible printer (hereinafter simply referred to as "printer") 104. These devices of the printing system 1 are connected to each other via a network 105 so that they can communicate with one another. In the configuration shown in Figure 1, the number of client terminals 101 and printers 104 is one each, but is not limited to this. For example, the number of client terminals 101 and printers 104 may be multiple. Also, the cloud print server 102 and the application management server 103 may each be composed of, for example, one information processing device or multiple information processing devices. If the cloud print server 102 and the application management server 103 are each composed of multiple information processing devices, processing can be distributed among the information processing devices. Also, the cloud print server 102 may be a virtual server. In this embodiment, network 105 is a WAN such as the Internet, but is not limited to this, and may be a LAN, for example.

[0011] The client terminal 101 is an information processing device such as a desktop or notebook personal computer, a tablet terminal, or a smartphone. As shown in Figure 1, the client terminal 101 has a print setting extension application (application program) 112, an OS (operating system) 114, and a document generation application 115. The OS 114 has a cloud printer driver 111, a local printer driver 113, and a print spooler 116 pre-installed. The cloud printer driver 111 and the local printer driver 113 are standard drivers provided by the OS 114 provider. The standard driver is a class driver (general-purpose program) that can be used in common, for example, when printing, for printers from multiple manufacturers (including printer 104). The standard driver is provided together with the OS 114 as one of the functions within the OS 114 package. The standard driver can perform processing for various printers by utilizing a standardized printing method. As a result, the standard driver can generate and output instructions that can be interpreted by printers from multiple manufacturers. The standard driver is not particularly limited; for example, a program that operates based on IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) can be used.

[0012] The local printer driver 113 is used when connecting the client terminal 101 and the printer 104 without going through the cloud print service 121 of the cloud print server 102. The cloud printer driver 111 is used when connecting the client terminal 101 and the printer 104 via the cloud print service 121. In this case, the cloud print service 121 can be used. Information about the printer 104 is pre-registered in the cloud print service 121. The client terminal 101 specifies the printer 104 as the output destination for the print data generated by the cloud printer driver 111 and sends the print data to the cloud print service 121. The cloud print service 121 sends the print data to the printer 104, and the printing of the print data is executed on the printer 104. The print spooler 116 is a printing function provided by the OS 114. The print spooler 116 has the function of temporarily storing intermediate data and print data from the cloud printer driver 111 or the local printer driver 113. The temporarily stored print data is retrieved by the print settings extension application 112, or sent to the cloud print server 102 or printer 104.

[0013] The print settings extension application 112 is a program that supports the cloud printer driver 111 and the local printer driver 113, i.e., the standard driver, via the print spooler 116. Specifically, the print settings extension application 112 is an extension program that extends the print settings functionality of the standard driver. The print settings extension application 112 is provided, for example, by one of the aforementioned multiple manufacturers. In this embodiment, the print settings extension application 112 is stored in the storage unit (storage medium) 214 of the client terminal 101 when the client terminal 101 is shipped, but is not limited to this. For example, if the print settings extension application 112 is not stored in the storage unit 214 when the client terminal 101 is shipped, the print settings extension application 112 is downloaded to the storage unit 214 from the application management server 103 via the network 105. The print settings extension application 112 includes a print settings UI unit 112a and a device capability collection processing unit 112b. The print settings UI unit 112a provides the user with a print settings UI 112d, which is a settings acceptance screen that can accept various settings. The print settings UI unit 112a generates and displays the print settings UI 112d based on capability information obtained from the cloud print service 121 by the OS 114 and the print settings extension application 112. "Capability information" refers to information about the printer 104's ability to print. The print settings UI 112d will be described later with reference to Figure 5. The device capability collection processing unit 112b is a module that operates the OS 114 to collect capability information of the printer 104 and updates the device capability information managed by the OS 114 based on the collected capability information.

[0014] The document generation application 115 comprises various applications such as applications for generating document files, applications for performing spreadsheet calculations, and applications for generating presentations. The document generation application 115 may be pre-installed on OS114 or installed via download.

[0015] The cloud print server 102 is a server device for providing the cloud print service 121 from the provider of the OS 114. In this embodiment, the cloud print server 102 receives print instructions and print data from the client terminal 101. The cloud print server 102 can provide the cloud print service 121 to the user by sending the received print data to the printer 104. The printer 104 is an image forming device that converts the print data from the client terminal 101 into image data and prints it on a recording medium such as printing paper. The printer 104 is not particularly limited, and for example, an MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral) or an SFP (Single Function Printer) can be used.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a printing system. FIG. 2(a) is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a client terminal. FIG. 2(b) is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a cloud print server. FIG. 2(c) is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an application management server. FIG. 2(d) is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a printer. The client terminal 101 shown in FIG. 2(a) is an information processing device having a control unit 211, a storage unit 214, a network communication unit 215, a display unit 216, and an operation unit 217. The control unit 211 has a CPU 212 and a memory 213, and is a computer that controls the overall operation of the client terminal 101. This control unit 211 can execute each of the processes (control methods) described later. The CPU 212 develops and executes the program stored in the storage unit 214 in the memory 213. The memory 213 functions as the main memory of the CPU 212 and also functions as a temporary storage area for developing work areas and various programs. The storage unit 214 is, for example, a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk or an SSD. Data is stored in the storage unit 214. Further, the data stored in the storage unit 214 can be rewritten. The network communication unit 215 transmits and receives data to and from the cloud print server 102, the application management server 103, and the printer 104 via the network 105. The display unit 216 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays various information to the user who uses the client terminal 101. The operation unit 217 is composed of, for example, a keyboard or a mouse, and receives input from the user. Note that the client terminal 101 may be equipped with a touch panel having the functions of the display unit 216 and the operation unit 217.

[0017] The cloud print server 102 shown in Fig. 2(b) is an information processing device having a control unit 221, a storage unit 224, and a network communication unit 225. The control unit 221 has a CPU 222 and a memory 223. The functions of the control unit 221, the storage unit 224, and the network communication unit 225 are the same as those of the control unit 211, the storage unit 214, and the network communication unit 215 of the client terminal 101, respectively. The application management server 103 shown in Fig. 2(c) is an information processing device having a control unit 231, a storage unit 234, a network communication unit 235, a display unit 236, and an operation unit 237. The control unit 231 has a CPU 232 and a memory 233. The functions of the control unit 231, the storage unit 234, the network communication unit 235, the display unit 236, and the operation unit 237 are the same as those of the control unit 211, the storage unit 214, the network communication unit 215, the display unit 216, and the operation unit 217 of the client terminal 101, respectively.

[0018] The printer 104 shown in Fig. 2(d) has a control unit 241, a storage unit 244, a network communication unit 245, a display unit 246, an operation unit 247, and a printing unit 248. The control unit 241 has a CPU 242 and a memory 2,43. The functions of the control unit 241, the storage unit 244, the display unit 246, and the operation unit 247 are the same as those of the control unit 211, the storage unit 214, the display unit 216, and the operation unit 217 of the client terminal 101, respectively. The network communication unit 245 transmits and receives data to and from the client terminal 101 and the cloud print server 102 via the network 105. Thereby, the network communication unit 245 can receive print data from the client terminal 101 or transmit information regarding the operating state of the printer 104, such as an error, to the client terminal 101. The printing unit 248 performs printing processing by a series of operations of feeding, printing, and discharging paper stored in a cassette or tray. The printing method is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include an electrophotographic method and an inkjet method. Note that the printer 104 may have a finishing device that performs stapling, punching, or the like on the printed paper.

[0019] Figure 3A is a sequence diagram showing the process performed between the client terminal, the cloud print server, and the printer. Figure 3B shows the capability information request (Get-Printer-Attributes) in step S302 of the sequence diagram shown in Figure 3A, and the IPP attribute information of the capability information response in step S303. Note that the process shown in Figure 3A is executed after the printer 104 information has been registered with the cloud print service 121 and the creation of the print queue has been completed. Here, it is assumed that a print queue for sending to the printer 104 via the cloud print service 121 has been created in advance.

[0020] As shown in Figure 3A, in step S301, the document generation application 115 provides an application print settings UI. The print spooler 116 of the OS 114 then accepts the selection of a print queue on the application print settings UI. Specifically, first, a user using the client terminal 101 launches the document generation application 115 on the client terminal 101. Next, the user opens the data to be printed (original) in the document generation application 115 and instructs the application to print the data. Upon receiving this print instruction, the document generation application 115 displays the application print settings UI on the display unit 216. The application print settings UI displays the printer names of printers capable of printing the data to be printed. In this embodiment, this printer name is the printer name of printer 104. The user selects this printer name on the application print settings UI. As a result, the print spooler 116 determines that the print queue corresponding to the selected printer name has been selected. In this embodiment, the selection of a print queue is performed on the application print settings UI provided by the document generation application 115, but it is not limited to this; for example, it may be performed on the OS print settings UI provided by the OS 114. Upon selecting a print queue, the print spooler 116 reads a Print Ticket. A "Print Ticket" is a file that shows print setting information written in XML format, and is managed for each print queue. The print settings are written in a format that the OS 114 can interpret. The print settings are written as pairs of setting items and setting values.

[0021] In step S302, the print spooler 116 sends a request for capability information for the printer (in this case, printer 104) corresponding to the print queue selected in step S301 to the cloud print service 121 of the cloud print server 102. This request uses a capability information request command defined in IPP. Attribute information corresponding to the setting items is set as an argument to this command. This allows the print spooler 116 to obtain capability information for the setting items specified. Note that the attribute information and attribute values ​​in this embodiment are information according to IPP. In the capability information request 601 shown in Figure 3B(a), capability information for the number of copies supported (copies-supported) is requested for the printer specified by printer-uri. In addition, capability information for supported PDL (document-format-supported) and supported paper (meda-supported) is also requested.

[0022] In step S303, the cloud print service 121 sends capability information of the printer 104 in response to the request in step S302 to the print spooler 116. The capability information response 602 shown in Figure 3B(b) is a response to the capability information request 601. The capability information response 602 includes information that the response was successful (successful-ok) and that the number of copies can be specified from 1 to 999 (1-999). It also includes information that the supported PDLs are PDF (application / pdf), JPEG (image / jpeg), and PWG-Raster (image / pwg-raster). Furthermore, it includes information that the supported paper sizes are A4, A5, and A6.

[0023] In step S304, the print spooler 116 stores the printer 104 capability information sent in step S303 as the printer 104's print queue and associated device capability information.

[0024] In step S305, the print spooler 116 sends an event (device capability information editing event) to the device capability collection processing unit 112b of the print settings extension application 112, indicating that the device capability information stored in step S304 can be edited.

[0025] In step S306, the device capability collection processing unit 112b, upon receiving the device capability information editing event in step S305, requests capability information for the printer 104 from the cloud print service 121. Specifically, the device capability collection processing unit 112b requests capability information for the printer 104 from the cloud print service 121 using the attribute information selected as the target of the request, using the standard protocol defined in IPP. Note that the print setting extension application 112 can also acquire capability information for attribute information not supported by OS 114. In this embodiment, printer vendor-specific attribute information is set as an argument to the protocol used in the request in step S306. This makes it possible to acquire capability information even for attribute information not defined in IPP. In addition, when the device capability collection processing unit 112b receives the device capability information editing event, the OS 114 API (Application Programming Interface) becomes available. The API allows editing of the device capability information.

[0026] In step S307, the cloud print service 121 requests capability information from the printer 104 using IPP, in accordance with the capability information request in step S306. Specifically, the cloud print service 121 queries the capability information of the printer 104 using the arguments notified from the client terminal 101.

[0027] In step S308, the printer 104 sends information about its capabilities to the cloud print service 121 in response to the request in step S307.

[0028] In step S309, the cloud print service 121 sends the printer 104 capability information from step S308 to the print settings extension application 112.

[0029] In step S310, the print settings extension application 112 copies the capability information acquired by the client terminal 101 up to step S310 as device capability information data to the data storage area of ​​the print settings extension application 112 and stores it there. This completes the acquisition of capability information (acquisition step). This acquisition step is performed prior to the display control step described later.

[0030] In step S311, the print settings extension application 112 sends the device capability information data stored in step S310 to the print spooler 116.

[0031] In step S312, if the print spooler 116 receives the device capability information data in step S311, it activates the print queue selected in step S301. This enables the launch of the print settings UI section 112a of the print settings extension application 112.

[0032] In step S313, the print spooler 116 sends a notification to the print settings extension application 112 indicating that the print queue enabled in step S312 is available. When the print settings extension application 112 receives this notification, the document generation application 115 makes the advanced settings button and print button included in the currently displayed application print settings UI selectable. If the OS print settings UI is displayed instead of the application print settings UI, the advanced settings button and print button in the print dialog included in the OS print settings UI become selectable. If the advanced settings button is selected, the print settings UI unit 112a is launched. Note that the operation to launch the print settings UI unit 112a is not limited to selecting the advanced settings button, but may also be the selection of any other button included in the application print settings UI.

[0033] In step S314, the print settings extension app 112 determines the PDL formats supported by the printer 104 based on the device capability information data saved in step S310.

[0034] In step S315, the print settings extension application 112 displays the print settings UI 112d on the display unit 216 according to the determination result in step S314.

[0035] Here, the detailed processing in steps S314 and S315 will be explained with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the detailed processing in steps S314 and S315 of the sequence diagram shown in Figure 3A. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a client terminal. Figure 5(a) is a diagram showing an example of a print settings screen where the print data format can be set. Figure 5(b) is a diagram showing an example of a print settings screen where the print data format setting is omitted. Figure 5(c) is a diagram showing the selected state of the print data format setting on the print settings screen shown in Figure 5(a). As shown in Figure 4, in step S401, the print settings extension application 112 determines whether the printer 104 supports both vector and raster format PDLs based on the device capability information data in step S310. For example, if the capability information is capability information response 602 (see Figure 3B(b)), then PDF is a vector format, and JPEG and PWG-Raster are raster formats, respectively. The PDF, JPEG, and PWG-Raster included in the capability information response 602 are information used to determine whether or not the print settings screen (settings acceptance screen) 501 shown in Figure 5(a) can be displayed (determination step). If the capability information response 602 includes PDF, JPEG, and PWG-Raster, it is determined that the print settings screen 501 can be displayed. If these are not included, it is determined that the print settings screen 501 cannot be displayed. If the determination in step S401 determines that both PDLs are supported, the process proceeds to step S402. On the other hand, if the determination in step S401 determines that neither PDLs are supported, the process proceeds to step S403.

[0036] In step S402, the print settings UI section 112a of the print settings extension application 112 displays the print settings screen 501 (see Figure 5(a)) as the print settings UI 112d (display control step). After step S402 is executed, the process ends.

[0037] In step S403, the print settings UI section 112a of the print settings extension application 112 does not display the print settings screen 501 as the print settings UI 112d, but instead displays the print settings screen 502 (see Figure 5(b)) in its place. After step S403 is executed, the process ends.

[0038] As shown in Figure 5(a), the print settings screen 501 includes a print data format setting section 510, an output paper size setting section (size setting section) 511, a paper type setting section (type setting section) 512, a number of copies setting section 513, and a single-sided / double-sided setting section (print surface setting section) 514. The print settings screen 501 also includes an OK button 515, a Cancel button 516, and a simulated print state image 517. The print data format setting section 510 can accept settings for the print data format. As shown in Figure 5(c), the print data format setting section 510 includes a first setting section 510a and a second setting section 510b, and one of these setting sections can be selected. When the first setting section 510a is selected, the print data format can be set to a vector format. On the other hand, when the second setting section 510b is selected, the print data format can be set to a raster format. In the print settings screen 501, the print data format can be set to either a vector format or a raster format, whichever is desired. Note that the function of accepting print data format settings is not possible with the standard driver, the cloud printer driver 111 (and the local printer driver 113). Therefore, the client terminal 101 accepts print data format settings using the print settings extension application 112. Also, as shown in Figure 5(a), when neither the first setting unit 510a nor the second setting unit 510b is selected, the first setting unit 510a is displayed with priority over the second setting unit 510b. In other words, the print data format setting unit 510 displays the first setting unit 510a by default. One reason for this is that, for example, the client terminal 101 performs various processes in addition to printing, so it is desirable to select the vector format, which places relatively little burden on the processing of print data, whenever possible. Furthermore, when sending print data from client terminal 101, using a vector format allows for a smaller print data size compared to using a raster format.

[0039] The output paper size setting unit 511 allows you to set the size of the printing paper to be used, for example, A4 size. The paper type setting unit 512 allows you to set the type of printing paper to be used, for example, plain paper. The number of copies setting unit 513 allows you to set the number of copies to be printed, for example, 1 copy. The single-sided / double-sided setting unit 514 allows you to set whether to print on one side or on both sides. Note that the print settings screen 501 includes the output paper size setting unit 511 to the single-sided / double-sided setting unit 514, but is not limited to this; it is sufficient if at least one of these setting units is included. Furthermore, by operating the OK button 515, the settings in the print data format setting unit 510 to the single-sided / double-sided setting unit 514 are reflected in the print data (print job). On the other hand, by operating the cancel button 516, the settings in the print data format setting unit 510 to the single-sided / double-sided setting unit 514 are canceled. The simulated print state image 517 is a simulated image that reflects the settings in the print data format setting unit 510 to the single-sided / double-sided setting unit 514. Note that the simulated print state image 517 is a different image from the preview image.

[0040] As shown in Figure 5(b), the print settings screen 502 differs from the print settings screen 501 in that the print data format setting unit 510 is omitted. As mentioned above, the print settings screen 502 is displayed when it is determined in step S401 that neither PDL is supported.

[0041] As shown in Figure 3A, in step S316a after step S315, if the document generation application 115 receives a print command on the application print settings UI, it sends a print execution command containing the data to be printed to the cloud printer driver 111.

[0042] In step S316b, when the cloud printer driver 111 receives the print execution command in step S316a, it notifies the print spooler 116 that it has received the print execution command.

[0043] In step S317, if the print spooler 116 receives the notification in step S316b, it sends a print workflow background processing event to the print settings extension application 112. Sending the print workflow background processing event activates the print workflow background processing of the print settings extension application 112. "Print workflow background processing" refers to the process by which the print settings extension application 112 sends instructions to the cloud printer driver 111 via the print spooler 116. The print spooler 116 also receives data (for example, image data in GDI format) from the document generation application 115 via the cloud printer driver 111. The print spooler 116 can generate intermediate image data from this data or convert it to PDL. "Intermediate image data" refers to XPS data, for example, which is generated before being converted to print data such as PDL.

[0044] In step S318, the print settings extension application 112 notifies the print spooler 116 of the PDL format. At this time, if the print settings screen 501 is displayed as the print settings UI 112d, the PDL format notified to the print spooler 116 is switched according to the setting in the print data format setting unit 510. For example, if the first setting unit 510a is selected in the print data format setting unit 510, PDF is notified. If the second setting unit 510b is selected in the print data format setting unit 510, JPEG or PWG-Raster is notified. Note that if the print settings screen 502 is displayed as the print settings UI 112d, the PDL format notified to the print spooler 116 is not switched.

[0045] In step S319, the print spooler 116 converts the intermediate image data generated in step S317 into a PDL in the print data format notified in step S318.

[0046] In step S320, the print spooler 116 generates print data from the PDL converted in step S319 for transmission to the printer 104 via IPP. That is, the print spooler 116 generates print data using the format settings accepted on the print settings screen 501 (generation control step).

[0047] In step S321, the print spooler 116 sends the print data generated in step S320 to the cloud print service 121 via the print queue received in step S301 (transmission control step).

[0048] In step S322, the cloud print service 121 sends the print data sent in step S321 to the printer 104.

[0049] In step S323, the printer 104 prints the print data sent in step S322. In this embodiment, the print data generated by the cloud printer driver 111 (print spooler 116) is sent to the printer 104 via the cloud print service 121, but this is not limited to this. If the print data is generated by the local printer driver 113, the print data is sent directly to the printer 104 without going through the cloud print service 121. In addition, the client terminal 101 can also generate print data that is not based on the execution of the print settings extension application 112.

[0050] Figure 6A is a flowchart showing the processes executed on the client terminal. As shown in Figure 6A, in step S801, the CPU 112 of the client terminal 101 executes the print settings extension application 112 to receive an event notification from the OS 114 (see step S305). Based on this event notification, the CPU 112 determines whether or not a printer 104 (device) to be used for printing has been selected. If the determination in step S801 is that a device has been selected, the process proceeds to step S802. On the other hand, if the determination in step S801 is that no device has been selected, the process remains in step S801 and waits.

[0051] In step S802, the CPU 112 executes the print settings extension application 112 to obtain the capabilities information of the printer 104 and send it to the device capability collection processing unit 112b (see step S309).

[0052] In step S803, the CPU 112 executes the print settings extension application 112 and saves the printer 104 capability information acquired in step S802 to the device capability collection processing unit 112b (step S310).

[0053] In step S804, the CPU 112 runs the print settings extension application 112 to receive notification from the print spooler 116 that the print queue for printer 104 is available (see step S313).

[0054] In step S805, the CPU 112 runs the print settings extension application 112 to check which PDLs the printer 104 can support (see step S314).

[0055] In step S806, the CPU 112 executes the print settings extension application 112 to display the print settings UI 112d (see step S315).

[0056] In step S807, the CPU 112 executes the print settings extension application 112 to receive an event notification from the OS 114 (see step S317). Based on this event notification, the CPU 112 determines whether or not printing has been instructed to the printer 104. If the determination in step S807 is that printing has been instructed, the process proceeds to step S808. On the other hand, if the determination in step S807 is that printing has not been instructed, the process remains in step S807 and waits.

[0057] In step S808, the CPU 112 executes the print settings extension application 112 to notify the print spooler 116 of the PDL format. The print spooler 116 then generates the print data according to the notification from the print settings extension application 112 (see step S320). This print data is sent to the printer 104 via the cloud print service 121 (see steps S321 and S322).

[0058] Figure 6B is a flowchart showing the processes performed by the printer. As shown in Figure 6B, in step S811, the CPU 242 of the printer 104 receives the print data sent in step S808 of Figure 6A via the network communication unit 215.

[0059] In step S812, the CPU 242 determines whether the print data received in step S811 is in vector format. If the determination in step S812 is that it is in vector format, the process proceeds to step S813. On the other hand, if the determination in step S812 is that it is not in vector format, i.e., it is in raster format, the process proceeds to step S814.

[0060] In step S813, the CPU 242 converts the print data format received in step S811 into a raster format.

[0061] In step S814, CPU242 prints the print data (see step S323).

[0062] <Second Embodiment> The second embodiment will now be described with reference to Figure 7, focusing on the differences from the previously described embodiment, and omitting explanations of similar matters. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a client terminal according to the second embodiment. Figure 7(a) is a diagram showing an example of a print settings screen when the print data format is set to raster format. Figure 7(b) is a diagram showing an example of a print settings screen when the print data format is set to vector format. The print settings screen 501 shown in Figure 7(a) is in a state where the print data format setting unit 510 is selected to the second setting unit 510b. This print settings screen 501 includes a message (description) 701 about the result obtained by selecting the second setting unit 510b, that is, by setting the raster format. For example, the message 701 may state, "The format of the print data to be transmitted will be changed to bitmap." The print settings screen 501 shown in Figure 7(b) is in a state where the print data format setting unit 510 is selected to the first setting unit 510a. This print settings screen 501 includes a message 702 regarding the results obtained by selecting the first setting unit 510a, that is, by setting the vector format. Message 702 may state, for example, "The format of the print data to be sent will be PDF." Message 702 may also state, for example, "Generally, PDF can sometimes produce higher quality print results," "Processing on the client terminal 101 side can be reduced," or "The size of the print data to be sent can be reduced." Through such messages 701 and 702, it is possible to understand the results obtained by the selected format.

[0063] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist. The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more functions of the above embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors of the computer in that system or device read and execute the program. Furthermore, the present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more functions. In addition, while the print data format in the above embodiments was a vector format and a raster format, it is not limited to these. For example, other print data formats can include various formats such as PSD (Photoshop Document) and SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). Furthermore, the client terminal 101 may further change the format of the print data generated by the standard driver using the print setting extension application 112 (format change control step). The print data whose format has been changed by the print setting extension application 112 is then sent to the printer 104.

[0064] Each embodiment of the disclosure includes the following programs, storage media, configurations, and methods. (Program 1) A standard driver provided by the provider of the operating system, which is an application program that supports the standard driver pre-installed in the operating system, On the computer, A display control process that displays a settings acceptance screen for accepting settings for the print data format, An application program characterized by causing the standard driver to generate the print data based on the format settings received on the setting reception screen. (Program 2) The application program according to Program 1, characterized in that the setting reception screen accepts a setting to whether to set the print data format to a vector format or a raster format. (Program 3) The application program according to Program 2, characterized in that the setting reception screen includes a first setting unit for setting to the vector format and a second setting unit for setting to the raster format, and one of the first setting unit and the second setting unit can be selected. (Program 4) The application program according to Program 3, characterized in that when one of the setting units is not selected, the first setting unit is displayed on the setting reception screen in priority to the second setting unit. (Program 5) The application program according to Program 3 or 4, characterized in that the setting reception screen includes a description of the result obtained by selecting one of the setting units when that setting unit is selected. (Program 6) An application program according to any one of Programs 1 to 5, characterized in that the setting reception screen includes at least one of the following: a size setting unit for setting the size of the printing paper to be used for printing; a type setting unit for setting the type of printing paper to be used for printing; a number of copies setting unit for setting the number of copies to be printed; and a print surface setting unit for setting whether the printing will be single-sided or double-sided. (Program 7) The computer, Prior to the display control step, there is an acquisition step of acquiring capability information from the printing device regarding the printing device's ability to perform printing, The process involves performing a determination step to determine whether the capability information acquired in the acquisition step includes information that enables the display of the setting reception screen, An application program according to any one of programs 1 to 6, characterized in that, in the display control step, if it is determined as a result of the determination step that the setting reception screen contains information that enables the display of the setting reception screen, the setting reception screen is displayed, and if it is determined that the setting reception screen does not contain information that enables the display of the setting reception screen, the setting reception screen is not displayed. (Program 8) An application program according to Program 7, characterized in that it has a transmission control step that causes the printing device to transmit the print data generated in the generation control step to the standard driver. (Program 9) The application program according to Program 8, characterized in that the printing apparatus is capable of printing the print data transmitted in the transmission control step. (Program 10) The computer, An application program according to any one of programs 1 to 9, characterized in that it causes the standard driver to perform a format change control step in the generation control step to further change the format of the print data generated by the standard driver. (Program 11) An application program according to any one of Programs 1 to 10, characterized in that the function for accepting the setting of the format is a function that cannot be executed by the standard driver. (Program 12) An application program according to any one of Programs 1 to 11, characterized in that a program that operates based on IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) is used as the standard driver. (Storage medium 1) A storage medium characterized by storing the application program described in Program 1. (Configuration 1) An information processing device comprising a standard driver provided by the provider of an operating system, which is pre-installed in the operating system, and an application program that supports the standard driver, The application program is installed on the computer of the information processing device. A display control process that displays a settings acceptance screen for accepting settings for the print data format, An information processing device characterized by causing the standard driver to generate the print data based on the format settings received on the setting reception screen. (Method 1) A method for performing control that supports a standard driver provided by the provider of an operating system, which is a standard driver pre-installed in the operating system, A display control process that displays a settings acceptance screen for accepting settings for the print data format, A control method characterized by comprising: a generation control step that causes the standard driver to generate the print data based on the format settings received on the setting reception screen. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0065] 101 Client terminals 111 Cloud printer driver 112 Print Settings Extension App 113 Local printer driver 114 OS (Operating System) 214 Storage section 501 Print settings screen 510 Print Data Format Setting Section 510a First setting section 510b 2nd setting section

Claims

1. A standard driver provided by the provider of the operating system, and an application program that supports the standard driver pre-installed in the said operating system, On the computer, A display control process that displays a settings acceptance screen for accepting settings for the print data format, An application program characterized by causing the standard driver to generate the print data based on the format settings received on the setting reception screen.

2. The application program according to claim 1, characterized in that the setting reception screen accepts a setting to whether to set the print data format to a vector format or a raster format.

3. The application program according to claim 2, wherein the setting reception screen includes a first setting unit for setting to the vector format and a second setting unit for setting to the raster format, and one of the first setting unit and the second setting unit can be selected.

4. The application program according to claim 3, characterized in that when one of the setting units is not selected, the first setting unit is displayed on the setting reception screen in priority to the second setting unit.

5. The application program according to claim 3, characterized in that the setting request screen includes a description of the result obtained by selecting one of the setting units when that setting unit is selected.

6. The application program according to claim 1, characterized in that the setting reception screen includes at least one of the following: a size setting unit for setting the size of the printing paper to be used for printing; a type setting unit for setting the type of printing paper to be used for printing; a number of copies setting unit for setting the number of copies to be printed; and a print surface setting unit for setting whether the printing is single-sided or double-sided.

7. To the aforementioned computer, Prior to the display control step, there is an acquisition step of acquiring capability information from the printing device regarding the printing device's ability to perform printing, The process involves performing a determination step to determine whether the capability information acquired in the acquisition step includes information that enables the display of the setting reception screen, The application program according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the display control step, if it is determined as a result of the determination step that the settings reception screen contains information that enables the display of the settings reception screen, the settings reception screen is displayed, and if it is determined that the settings reception screen does not contain information that enables the display of the settings reception screen, the settings reception screen is not displayed.

8. The application program according to claim 7, further comprising a transmission control step that causes the printing device to transmit the print data generated in the generation control step to the standard driver.

9. The application program according to claim 8, characterized in that the printing apparatus is capable of printing the print data transmitted in the transmission control step.

10. To the aforementioned computer, The application program according to claim 1, characterized in that it causes the standard driver to execute a format change control step in which it further changes the format of the print data generated by the standard driver in the generation control step.

11. The application program according to claim 1, characterized in that the function for accepting the setting of the aforementioned format is a function that cannot be executed by the standard driver.

12. The application program according to claim 1, characterized in that a program that operates based on IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) is used as the standard driver.

13. A storage medium characterized by storing the application program described in claim 1.

14. An information processing device comprising a standard driver provided by the provider of an operating system, which is pre-installed in the operating system, and an application program that supports the standard driver, The application program is installed on the computer of the information processing device. A display control process that displays a settings acceptance screen for accepting settings for the print data format, An information processing device characterized by causing the standard driver to generate the print data based on the format settings received on the setting reception screen.

15. A standard driver provided by the provider of an operating system, and a method for performing control that supports a standard driver pre-installed in the operating system, A display control process that displays a settings acceptance screen for accepting settings for the print data format, A control method characterized by comprising: a generation control step that causes the standard driver to generate the print data based on the format settings received on the setting reception screen.

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